Finally, the anchor continued, we are receiving reports that the AIS Supreme Leader is on American soil, personally leading the terrorist group’s effort to establish an American caliphate. This information is unconfirmed, but is believed to be credible.
***
10:13 a.m. – Virginia Beach
Benjamin leaned back in his conference chair as President Armando turned off the television.
“Is there any truth to the rumor that the AIS leader is here?” Armando slammed his fist on the table. “Where the hell is BBC getting their information?”
Benjamin cocked an eyebrow as Anthony responded. “This is the first I have heard of this rumor. We will look into it.”
That’s interesting, Benjamin thought. Russo didn’t pass the information I gave him along to the president.
Abdar shook his head. “Russo, you’re always looking into things, but you never actually seem to find any information.” He turned toward Armando. “Mr. President, I learned about this rumor several days ago. We have looked into it and do not believe it is credible. AIS is bold, but their leader has to be smart enough to know that he should not be on our soil.”
Benjamin leaned forward in his chair. “Abdar, I’d feel more confident about that if we actually did something to combat AIS. Right now they’re more afraid of rank-and-file citizens than they are our military.”
Abdar rocketed out of his chair, his fist clenched. Benjamin held up his hand and continued. “Mr. President, they might be more afraid of our military if you would allow us to actually use it.”
***
Wednesday, October 24, 2018 – 7:06 a.m. – Fontana Dam
The next morning Joshua poured a cup of coffee, donned a faded red baseball cap emblazoned with a strutting N.C. State University Wolfpack logo, grabbed his Bible and made his way to one of the rocking chairs on the front porch. Reagan made his way to the edge of the clearing and did his usual morning business there.
There was a chill in the air, and the steam from the hot coffee seemed thicker than it had on recent, warmer mornings. The mountainside was carpeted with red, brown and orange leaves that had fallen to their final resting place in recent days.
A lone squirrel scampered through the leaves into the clearing. Reagan’s ears perked up and the feisty canine kicked up dirt and leaves in his wake as he charged. The squirrel spun and deftly avoided Reagan’s jaws. The beagle-bulldog mix let out a deep bark and pursued the rodent, which made a beeline for a nearby tree. Reagan’s jaws appeared to graze the squirrel’s tail as it shot up the tree trunk. Joshua chuckled as the dog angrily barked and growled at the squirrel, which stopped about twenty feet up the tree and looked down at him tauntingly.
“Looks like he’s feeling better.” Rebecca made her way onto the porch.
“And not a moment too soon.” Joshua brushed his hand across her back as she passed in front of him and planted herself in the second rocking chair. She wore a pair of faded jeans with a hole in the left thigh, a brown plaid flannel shirt and had her brown hair pulled into a ponytail.
“Still no flag?” Rebecca pointed toward the empty pole in front of the cabin.
“Unfortunately, no.” Joshua shook his head. “I think it may be time to have a talk with Kane.”
“Josh, maybe John has a point about the flag.” Rebecca took a swig of her coffee. “I mean, does our country even still exist?”
“That’s not a decision for me to make,” Joshua said. “That’s one we’d have to discuss as a council and then as a whole camp.”
“I think that’s why John brought it up at the meeting.” She gently back-handed him on the leg.
“Thanks, Miss Obvious.” Joshua smirked. “I wish he’d bounced it off of me first so I could’ve had time to think about it. I would’ve been better equipped to handle Kane’s reaction.”
“You couldn’t have predicted that he’d blow up like that.”
“No, but I would’ve had a chance to think through the ‘what-ifs.’” Reagan made his way back on to the porch. Joshua sat his cup on the rail and scratched the dog behind the ears. Reagan’s tail thumped loudly against the porch. “If we do have a conversation about the flag at some point down the road, I’d like to talk with Kane first. And I’d like to get our flag back either way.”
***
0807 – Camp Lejeune
General Cloos took a sip of coffee from a stainless steel mug, which proudly displayed a U.S. Marine Corps logo, then centered the mug on a coaster near his Bankers’ lamp. Major Chinn appeared on the teleconference screen. “Good to see you, Major.” Cloos turned to Colonel Brookhart, who was seated in one of the guest chairs. “What’s the latest, Colonel?”
Brookhart rose from his chair and stepped toward a map positioned on an easel. “As we have discussed, AIS appears to be making aggressive moves to claim territory and infrastructure up and down the east coast.” He pointed at a location in Virginia between Roanoke and Danville. “When we last met, they controlled Smith Mountain Dam in Virginia, Carters Dam in Georgia, the Port of Charleston in South Carolina and the Bayway Refinery in New Jersey. They have since seized the Kerr Dam in southern Virginia and have been spotted scoping out the Watauga Dam in Tennessee, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland, the Intercession City Power Plant in Florida and the Vogtle Nuclear Plant in Georgia. While AIS has made some gains, they have lost control of the Port of Charleston.”
Cloos cocked an eyebrow. “How did that happen?”
“Cadets from the Citadel have remained on campus and continued their education since the attacks. They organized and launched an operation to root them out.”
“Impressive.” Cloos leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “Go on.”
“We are receiving increasingly credible intelligence that the AIS Supreme Leader is somewhere on our east coast,” Brookhart continued. “Several AIS attacks in New England have been thwarted by U.N. peacekeeping forces. However, in the past week AIS has seized control of several small towns in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Their goal appears to be to establish a lasting AIS caliphate here in the United States, beginning with the east coast.”
“Hence why they are targeting strategic infrastructure assets,” Cloos said.
“That’s not all,” Brookhart said. “They are continuing to hit smaller soft targets. We have seen an increasing number of small arms attacks as well as a few roadside bombs. They tried to attack a county fair in Alabama, but didn’t realize it was hosting a gun show. That didn’t go well for them.”
“God bless the Second Amendment.” Cloos inhaled a swig of coffee and wiped his mouth with his camouflage sleeve. “And Armando wonders why people are fighting back. Moron.”
Major Chinn’s voice crackled over the videoconference system. Colonel, it appears that dams and power plants are among their high priority targets. Have you received any intelligence indicating that Fontana Dam, Watts Bar Dam or any others in this area being targeted?
“Not at this time,” Brookhart answered.
Cloos took a puff of the cigar that had been smoldering on the edge of his desk. “But that doesn’t mean one or more of them are not on their list. Major Chinn, make it a priority to identify locals who are capable of defending Fontana Dam and let them know to get ready for a fight. I’ll get the word to my contacts near Watts Bar.”
Will do, sir, Chinn said. We also made contact with someone who has connections in the area of Watauga Dam. I will attempt to notify him.
“That’s fine.” Cloos blew a ring of cigar smoke into the air. “Just be discreet.”
“General,” Brookhart interjected. “We have also received reports of an active AIS cell in the Myrtle Beach area. They were apparently in that area prior to the 2017 attacks, and are believed to have some sort of training facility there.”
Cloos clenched his teeth. “If we knew they were there, then why the hell are they still there?”
The administration prior to President Wagner was more wo
rried about offending our enemies than protecting our own citizens, Chinn opined. And Wagner was barely in office long enough to warm his seat in the Oval Office.
“This alleged president doesn’t seem to have any more of a spine than Wagner’s predecessor,” Cloos said. “We need to monitor the cell closely. Colonel Brookhart, make a list of potential high value targets within a 120-mile radius of Myrtle Beach. Please also identify any assets in that area who might be able to provide us with intelligence on their movements.”
***
2:47 p.m. – Fontana Dam
That afternoon Joshua followed Jack into the woods toward Kane’s campsite, with Reagan trailing close behind. Joshua took a deep breath. He was not looking forward to this conversation. Kane’s explosion at a recent camp meeting over the issue of whether the camp should continue to show loyalty to the American flag had been weighing on Joshua, and he was hoping to bring the soldier back into the fold.
Reagan pawed at Joshua’s leg, almost as if he sensed his owner’s mood and wanted to comfort him. Joshua leaned down and scratched him on the head. “Good boy.”
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at a small campsite that was deep in the woods and isolated from the rest of the camp. Two dark green, one-man canvas tents sat side by side. A small wooden cross constructed from shaved branches had been erected in front of the tent on the right. A small fire pit surrounded by rocks had been constructed ten feet in front of the tents, and two logs sat beside the pit.
Joshua fought back a tear. “It’s been eight months and he hasn’t even touched Bob’s tent.”
“Definitely a show of respect,” Jack said. “Or idolatry.”
“Either way, he clearly hasn’t moved on,” Joshua said. “Kane, are you here?” There was no response.
Joshua knelt down in front of Bob’s tent and pulled back the flap covering the entrance. His sleeping bag and pillow were still there, likely in the same position he had left them before his untimely death at the hands of AIS terrorists eight months earlier. Joshua lowered his head and closed his eyes for a moment, then knelt down in front of Kane’s tent. “Kane, are you in there?” Again, there was no response.
“He’s not here,” Jack said as Joshua rose to his feet. “Any sign of the flag?”
“I’m not planning on digging through his stuff to find it,” Joshua said.
“It’s your flag,” Jack responded.
“That may be so, but I’m still going to respect Kane’s privacy,” Joshua said. “You should, too.” He rose to his feet and gestured for Jack to follow. “Come on, let’s go.”
Reagan started growling as they left the clearing and re-entered the woods. His ears perked up and his tail pointed toward the sky.
Jack un-clipped the holster which held his Glock .40 as Joshua dropped to one knee and put his arm around Reagan’s torso. “What is it, boy?”
Reagan remained fixated on something in the woods. As the dog’s growling intensified Joshua’s ears alerted him to the sound of someone -- or something -- in the woods. Running through the woods. Getting closer.
Joshua made eye contact with Jack, who un-holstered his Glock and held it at his side. Joshua attuned his ears to the sounds of the forest. Whatever was running through the woods was almost on top of them. Any moment. He slipped his hand into his pocket and gripped his Beretta 9mm.
Reagan’s growling suddenly ceased and his tail started wagging as Kane burst into the clearing, stopped on a dime and crossed his arms in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to talk to you.” Joshua sat down on one of the logs beside the fire pit and gestured toward the second log.
“I prefer to stand,” Kane said in a monotone voice.
“Fair enough,” Joshua said. “First and foremost, I just wanted to check on you. We haven’t seen much of you in the past few months. I wanted to make sure you know that you’re more than welcome to move closer to the cabins. I’m sure we could find space for you in a cabin or one of the campers if you’d like.”
“I like it here.”
“If that’s what you prefer, I’ll certainly respect that,” Joshua said. “But the offer stands if you change your mind.”
Kane nodded but did not speak.
“The second thing I wanted to mention is the flag,” Joshua continued. “I’ve noticed that it hasn’t been raised in a couple of weeks. I’d like to see us get back to flying it daily.”
“You guys made it clear at the camp meeting that you are no longer loyal to the flag.”
Joshua pursed his lips. “Kane, that’s not what happened. One person raised the question of whether or not the country whose flag we’re saluting still exists. One person.”
“None of you challenged him.” Kane’s face flushed red. “Only I had the guts to do that. And then none of you had my back.”
“The topic caught me off guard.” Joshua felt his heart racing. “I’m sorry if you felt--"
“Don’t patronize me!” Kane raised his voice. “Sergeant Major Kendall thought you people were patriots. I can’t believe I trusted you. I can’t believe he trusted you. It’s clear that you people don’t appreciate me!”
Jack removed his tan baseball cap. “Kane--"
Kane spun and faced him. “And you. I don’t want to hear a word from you. You should have supported me for the council after Sergeant Major Kendall was killed.”
Reagan pawed at Joshua’s ankle as Kane did an about-face and silently departed into the woods. Joshua reached down and touched the dog’s nose. “I know, boy.”
Jack scratched his dirty blonde hair before donning his cap. “Well, that was interesting.”
“And disconcerting.” Joshua heaved a deep sigh. “Do you remember anything Mordecai said the day we confronted him on the mountain?”
“Not really.” Jack chuckled. “I was mainly trying to figure out if my head was still attached to my body. I can’t believe that old man got the best of us the way he did.”
“That’s a whole different topic.” Joshua motioned for Jack to follow him back toward the main camp. “The first time I encountered him he said we have a mole in the camp. He repeated it that day. Prior to now I haven’t discussed this with anyone but Perry, Jim and Rebecca.”
“Do you think he’s right?”
“Hard to say, but in the interest of being vigilant we have to assume that he is,” Joshua said.
“Any theories on who it might be?”
“We’ve tossed around a few,” Joshua said. “Drew obviously came to mind, as did Kane. I’m starting to lean toward him.”
“Drew would be the obvious choice,” Jack said. “And I agree that after what we just saw Kane has to be on the list. But if the old man is right, and that’s a big ‘if,’ then the obvious choice is likely not the right choice.”
***
8:43 p.m. – Fontana Dam
That night Melanie unpacked the contents of the computer bag she had retrieved from Governor Harper’s Ford Excursion following the attack at Watts Bar Lake: a Dell laptop and power cable, six flash drives, a padfolio and pen, a smartphone and charger and a Sony cyber-shot digital camera she had purchased six months before the first wave of AIS attacks. She spread the items out on the kitchen table at the Fontana Village cabin where they were staying, then plugged in the laptop and powered it up.
As the computer slowly booted up she turned on the camera and began scrolling through pictures. The images brought back a flood of memories: her parents at Governor Harper’s second inauguration; herself with Governor Harper and Chief of Staff Heather Tate; Brandon with his arm around her. She felt a tear stream down her cheek.
Melanie jumped as Major Chinn barged into her emotional moment. “I hope you like fish,” he said.
She wiped the tear from her cheek before turning toward him. “Fish is one of my favorites.”
“Good. I was able to snag a couple of trout from one of the locals.” He pointed at the computer equipment that consumed the tabletop. “Wha
t’s all this?”
“There is a lot of important data on this laptop, and I want to make sure I have it backed up,” she said.
“What kind of data?”
“Contact lists, correspondence with people around the country on the governor’s behalf.”
“Make sure your backup is secure and well hidden,” Chinn said. “And--"
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to try to connect to the Internet.” Melanie chuckled. “I may be young and cute, but I’m not stupid.”
“Duly noted,” Chinn said dryly. “Now the onus is on you to prove yourself right. What I was going to say is that I won’t pressure you, but if any of that information could be useful to General Cloos, it would be greatly appreciated.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“General Cloos wants me to stay in this area for a few days and try to make some contacts with locals,” Chinn said. “You are welcome to stick close to me, and I’ll do my best to keep you out of harm’s way, but at some point we need to discuss where you want to go long-term.”
Melanie felt a lonely chill trickle down her spine. “I know.”
“Do you have any thoughts about that?”
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “I promise I won’t leave you hanging, but at some point I’m sure I’ll be in the thick of a battle, and I don’t want to put you in harm’s way.”
“Thank you.” Melanie fought back a tear. “I really don’t know what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t helped me get out of there after the attack. I… I think you probably saved my life.”
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